For a team that are not only the record four-time champions of the AFC Asian Cup, but also heading into the latest edition of the tournament in red-hot form, Japan were expected to comfortably see off Vietnam in their Group D opener on Sunday.
But if a script had been given out prior to kickoff, it certainly did not make its way to the Vietnam dressing room.
Just shortly after the half-hour mark of the contest, Vietnam had already done well to equalise after falling behind -- and would then go on to do one better as they remarkably took the lead against their more-illustrious opponents.
Unfortunately for the Southeast Asian upstarts, they were unable to hold on to their advantage as Japan hit back to lead at the break -- before a late goal five minutes gave the Samurai Blue a 4-2 victory which perhaps did not fully illustrate how much they had to toil for the result.
Ultimately, Japan's class and firepower prevailed as it should -- given the amount of quality they have at their disposal, which had seen them score a staggering 45 goals in their past ten matches prior to the Asian Cup.
Former Liverpool man Takumi Minamino was the standout with two clinical finishes, while Keito Nakamura had gotten the all-important third in first-half injury-time with what will go down as one of the goals of the tournament.
When they needed, Japan were able to bring on one European-based star after another, with Ritsu Doan, Takefusa Kubo and Ayase Ueda -- who bagged the match-sealing fourth - all waiting in reserve.
In the end, Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu will still be satisfied that his charges avoided a potentially-costly upset in the first game of their campaign and he would have known that Vietnam are far from pushovers.
At the previous Asian Cup five years ago, after Vietnam had created waves with their charge to their quarterfinals, Japan were only able to see them off with a 1-0 victory courtesy of a Doan penalty.
Perhaps if ever there was a time to have a real scare, it would be in the opening game of a tournament -- especially if the three points are still in the bag.
Moriyasu will have plenty of time to make adjustments ahead of their upcoming ties against Iraq and Indonesia to ensure his time are at their best if and when they get to the knockout round.
And even in defeat, there is certainly plenty for Vietnam to be optimistic about.
They gave one of the continent's leading sides a genuine run for their money, despite the fact that there are doubters wondering if this is the best iteration of the Golden Star Warriors in recent times.
Nguyễn Quang Hải, their talismanic playmaker for almost the past decade now, was not utilized off the bench, while two stalwarts from the previous Asian Cup in ex-captain Quế Ngọc Hải, striker Nguyễn Tiến Linh and goalkeeper Đặng Văn Lâm are not even present.
Somehow, this unheralded but fearless Vietnam outfit rose to the occasion, highlighting just how impressive their pipeline of talent currently is.
While he failed to get one over his former team, Vietnam coach Philippe Troussier should be buoyed with the performance.
They will now enter their next match against familiar foes Indonesia expecting to win and, based on Sunday's showing, they should equally have no fear for their final Group D opponents Iraq further down the road.
With four third-placed teams also advancing to the round of 16, just one win from those two matches could be enough to see Vietnam get out of the group stage.
More importantly, their endeavours against the mighty Japan suggests that could be very much within their capabilities.